LONDON (Reuters) – Record five-times Queen’s champion Andy Murray was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury after trailing 4-1 in the opening set of his second-round match against Australian Jordan Thompson on Wednesday.
The former world number one, a three-times Grand Slam champion, had celebrated his 1,000th tour-level singles match by beating Alexei Popyrin 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the first round.
The 37-year-old Murray, who considered retiring in 2019 due to a hip injury, is hoping to win his third Wimbledon next month.
“That’s no way to go out, especially for a great champion. I hope that’s not his last match (Queen’s) but I’m sure it won’t be. I’m sure we can hang around one more time,” Thompson said.
Murray has said it would be a fitting end to his career if he bowed out at this year’s Wimbledon or the Paris Olympics. The Scot, twice Olympic gold medallist, said in February that he was unlikely to continue playing next season.
Wimbledon runs from July 1-14.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
Source Agencies
